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Chapter 37 – Glowing Red

Chapter 37 – Glowing Red

[Location: Decontamination Depot t3rm1nu5 - Outside of Charlie and Linda’s Quarters]

Inside of Linda’s head there was absolute silence. The cold steel of the trigger rested firmly against the inside of her finger. Rage boiled in her mind as her eyes were focused with pin-point accuracy. She held her breath, pulled back on the mechanism and felt the recoil as it jerked her hand. The energy pulse left the barrel of the gun at point blank range, and found its target. A smoldering black hole appeared on the back of McCormick’s head, right where the back of the skull meets the spine.

She released the trigger and cycled it again. The pipe slid from McCormick’s hands and clanked to the grating. His head tilted back as his body started to crumple. She fired again. The weight of his body fell forward as he headed toward the ground.

Linda lowered the weapon to her side, the end of the barrel glowing red from the rapid discharge. Everything moved as if in slow motion as McCormick hit the grating. Linda looked down, and saw that the energy pulses had exited through his face, and left two large holes in his forehead and one in his cheek.

Looking forward Linda saw Charlie lying motionless on the ground. As her mind began to understand what she saw in front of her, rage was quickly replaced with erupting panic. Her mouth opened wide as she screamed, but no sound passed her lips. Her face reddened as emotions exploded inside of her. She could hear the repetitious sound of her heartbeat swishing in her ears, and adrenaline tingled inside of her veins, making her body feel almost numb. She blinked and shook her head to keep herself from fainting, dropped the weapon and lunged toward her husband.

She moved close to him, bent down and cradled his bleeding head in her hands. “Charlie. Honey. Don’t worry.” She pressed firmly against his head wounds, trying to stop the bleeding. “I’ll get you patched up.” Her tears fell onto her husband’s wounded body. Her heart pounding inside of her like a jackhammer.

Charlie’s eyes opened slightly and he looked at his wife. He mumbled a few words.

Linda leaned closer to him. “Honey, I can’t hear you.” She put her ear next to his lips.

“Message Central…get them over here…right now.”

Linda pulled away from her husband. “I will, and I’ll head to the infirmary and get the gurney and a round of morphine injections.” She moved her face close to his. “You’re not gonna die, because I’m not gonna let you.” She looked deeply into her husband’s eyes. “I love you.”

Charlie’s eyes met Linda’s, he blinked and then whispered. “I love you more.”